Thursday, August 31, 2006
9,000 Steps
I've been wearing a pedometer and attempting to walk at least 10,000 steps a day...with mixed results. Today's been so crazy that I've already completed 9,000 steps, and it's only lunch time! We call this the Harvest diet....
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
The IT Police
The latest site I can't access? ask.com!
Must be highly seditious or racy or something...
Must be highly seditious or racy or something...
I just HATE getting the big "Access Denied" flashed across my screen.
I won't name names, but there's one person's blog I can't open from work -- it's a blogspot one, too. Makes no sense whatsoever!
Back in the old days, when I was in IT, our filter bumped anyone going to a site deemed inappropriate directly to disney.com. Of course, now disney.com is blocked. Go figure!
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Charlotte, the Ogre...
I had to do something awful yesterday. I called Animal Control to have a stray dog carted away. I'd feel even worse if he'd been a nice dog, but he wasn't. Very skittish and sometimes aggressive, he tried to bite several of our employees. He looked to be an odd mix of pit bull and golden retriever.
It's a sad thing to have to do.
It's a sad thing to have to do.
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Stockton Arts Commission - 29th annual Arts Awards Celebration
Catherine will be singing "Cabaret" at this event -- another opportunity to see her perform!
The Stockton Arts Commission welcomes the Stockton community to attend its 29th annual Arts Awards Celebration Friday, October 20 at the Bob Hope Theatre.
Tickets are available through the Bob Hope Theatre Box Office for $15, $25 and $30.
As the Haggin Museum celebrates its 75th year, museum director Tod Ruhstaller will be honored with the top STAR award for his work over more than 20 years to develop the Haggin into Stockton’s premier cultural center. In addition to its major national fine arts exhibitions and the conservation and restoration of museum collections, Ruhstaller has developed partnerships with area arts organizations, introduced diverse cultural exhibits and expanded the museum’s reach into the community through education, events, workshops, tours, concerts and recitals.
A new Mayor’s Award will be presented this year to the Downtown Stockton Alliance Art Walk event for its successful inaugural season.
Owner and founder of the Harlequin House Art Center Maxine DalBen will be recognized with a Volunteer Award for her decades of instruction, encouragement and mentoring of artists at Harlequin House and at the Amador Art Camp she and her late husband began for talented minority youth.
The awards gala will also recognize several anniversaries in the regional arts. These include Education Through Music, Inc.-Musical Chairs Children’s Concert Series (25 years); Stockton Friends of Chamber Music (50 years) and the Haggin Museum (75 years).
For their contribution of art reviews in The Record, which have helped communicate much of the area’s art and culture to members of the community, the following individuals will also receive special recognition: Howard Lachtman (literary, restaurant and cinema), Sherman Spencer (music), and Diane Runion (theater and ballet).
In addition to these presentations, the Arts Awards Celebration will feature artistic displays, performances and a “Taste of Downtown” with samplings of downtown restaurant entrees and desserts. The event’s honorary host committee includes Marian Jacobs, Ron Berberian, Vince Perrin, Gil Dellinger, Judy Caruso-Williamson, and Maestro Peter Jaffe.
For information, phone (209) 937-7488.
* * * * *
The Stockton Arts Commission welcomes the Stockton community to attend its 29th annual Arts Awards Celebration Friday, October 20 at the Bob Hope Theatre.
Tickets are available through the Bob Hope Theatre Box Office for $15, $25 and $30.
As the Haggin Museum celebrates its 75th year, museum director Tod Ruhstaller will be honored with the top STAR award for his work over more than 20 years to develop the Haggin into Stockton’s premier cultural center. In addition to its major national fine arts exhibitions and the conservation and restoration of museum collections, Ruhstaller has developed partnerships with area arts organizations, introduced diverse cultural exhibits and expanded the museum’s reach into the community through education, events, workshops, tours, concerts and recitals.
A new Mayor’s Award will be presented this year to the Downtown Stockton Alliance Art Walk event for its successful inaugural season.
Owner and founder of the Harlequin House Art Center Maxine DalBen will be recognized with a Volunteer Award for her decades of instruction, encouragement and mentoring of artists at Harlequin House and at the Amador Art Camp she and her late husband began for talented minority youth.
The awards gala will also recognize several anniversaries in the regional arts. These include Education Through Music, Inc.-Musical Chairs Children’s Concert Series (25 years); Stockton Friends of Chamber Music (50 years) and the Haggin Museum (75 years).
For their contribution of art reviews in The Record, which have helped communicate much of the area’s art and culture to members of the community, the following individuals will also receive special recognition: Howard Lachtman (literary, restaurant and cinema), Sherman Spencer (music), and Diane Runion (theater and ballet).
In addition to these presentations, the Arts Awards Celebration will feature artistic displays, performances and a “Taste of Downtown” with samplings of downtown restaurant entrees and desserts. The event’s honorary host committee includes Marian Jacobs, Ron Berberian, Vince Perrin, Gil Dellinger, Judy Caruso-Williamson, and Maestro Peter Jaffe.
For information, phone (209) 937-7488.
When fast food isn't
Most everybody's heard my mini-rampages on "fast" food. The Burger King that was the worst offender no longer exists! They were also the drive-thru most likely to mess up my order. Last week, I made a quick side-trip into a Jack in the Box for a soft drink on the way back from another errand, and ended up waiting in line in my very hot car (Mustang) for about 15 minutes. The bright note? Because I'd waited so long, they didn't charge me. So, what started as a very negative experience turned out kind of positive.
I was reminded of the whole "convenience" thing again yesterday. I brought my car (Breeze) to SpeeDee to have the transmission serviced. They said it would take about half an hour. I was feeling a bit guilty about getting back for it an hour later until I saw it was sitting EXACTLY where I left it. It took nearly half an hour of waiting to find out they hadn't started on it, so we agreed they'd call me when it was ready (probably took another hour or so). If I'd been in a dreadful hurry or had been sitting in their dreadful waiting room* the whole time, it would have been a problem. Since I had Cat to ferry me around, it was no big deal.
*Okay...It's not truly dreadful. It's clean; there's coffee. But there's also always at least one restless, fidgety child, and it always feels crowded and cramped and noisy.
I was reminded of the whole "convenience" thing again yesterday. I brought my car (Breeze) to SpeeDee to have the transmission serviced. They said it would take about half an hour. I was feeling a bit guilty about getting back for it an hour later until I saw it was sitting EXACTLY where I left it. It took nearly half an hour of waiting to find out they hadn't started on it, so we agreed they'd call me when it was ready (probably took another hour or so). If I'd been in a dreadful hurry or had been sitting in their dreadful waiting room* the whole time, it would have been a problem. Since I had Cat to ferry me around, it was no big deal.
*Okay...It's not truly dreadful. It's clean; there's coffee. But there's also always at least one restless, fidgety child, and it always feels crowded and cramped and noisy.
Friday, August 11, 2006
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
'Cabaret' gives audience a show from the risqué to the fabulous
Rhonelle Runner
Special to The Record
Published Tuesday, Aug 1, 2006
From the opening curtain, Stockton Theatre Project's production of "Cabaret" teeters purposefully between concealment and revelation. The costumes are often revealing, but the story line, like a strip-tease artist, leaves certain elements concealed for dramatic effect.
Derek Isetti stars as the show's wonderfully wicked Emcee (master of ceremonies) who invites audience members to forget their troubles at the cabaret. His long-sleeved shirt glimmers and sparkles, and yet the near-transparent fabric conceals nothing.
As the narrator of this dreamlike tale, the Emcee lets the audience in on some of his secrets, but leaves the show's other characters to grope their own way through the gathering darkness as the Nazis rise to power.
Cliff Bradshaw (Matt Voyer) is a poor American writer traveling to Berlin seeking inspiration for a novel. He interacts with Ernst Ludwig (Parker Cushing), a German businessman who recommends a rooming house and a nightclub where he might find the inspiration he seeks.
Cliff finds himself at the Kit Kat Klub, where the black-gartered Kit Kat Girls (and the androgynous Kit Kat Boys) entertain crowds eager to indulge in the decadent side of the Weimar Republic. There he meets Sally Bowles (Catherine Frye), an English transplant determined to blossom in the decadent lifestyle.
The two begin a relationship of convenience. As Berlin (and German society) begins to implode, so does their relationship. Cliff wants to take Sally home, but she wants to return to the life she knows in the cabaret.
Director Jim Coleman has assembled a great cast, and with this production, strikes a balance between decadence, indifference and fear.
Matt Voyer was convincing as the naive, goodhearted author. His warm baritone was strong but not overpowering. He and Catherine Frye worked well together, and by the end of the show, they really had the audience on their side.
Much of the show's nuance came from the supporting characters. The romance between Fraulein Schneider (Dorothy Mulvihill) and Herr Schultz (Ray Rustigian) was one of the high points of the production, while Cushing and Joanna Bernazzini realized the layers of personality of their characters, along with their political leanings.
Another revelation was Frye's vocal performance. She grabbed the opportunity to shine, first with "Don't Tell Mama," and then with the show-stopping "Cabaret," which suited her voice perfectly.
Musical director Paul Kimball and vocal director Timothy Swaim have produced fine overall performances, especially from the pit orchestra. Vocally there was only one noticeable exception - the Act I quintet "Tomorrow Belongs to Me."
Beverly Norcross' costumes, in keeping with the show's spirited tension, run from risqué to fabulous. Valerie Gnassounou-Bynoe's choreography was wonderfully varied, from raunchy burlesque to proper social dances.
In all, "Cabaret" succeeds because of its talented cast and its confident exploration of human relationships.
Special to The Record
Published Tuesday, Aug 1, 2006
From the opening curtain, Stockton Theatre Project's production of "Cabaret" teeters purposefully between concealment and revelation. The costumes are often revealing, but the story line, like a strip-tease artist, leaves certain elements concealed for dramatic effect.
Derek Isetti stars as the show's wonderfully wicked Emcee (master of ceremonies) who invites audience members to forget their troubles at the cabaret. His long-sleeved shirt glimmers and sparkles, and yet the near-transparent fabric conceals nothing.
As the narrator of this dreamlike tale, the Emcee lets the audience in on some of his secrets, but leaves the show's other characters to grope their own way through the gathering darkness as the Nazis rise to power.
Cliff Bradshaw (Matt Voyer) is a poor American writer traveling to Berlin seeking inspiration for a novel. He interacts with Ernst Ludwig (Parker Cushing), a German businessman who recommends a rooming house and a nightclub where he might find the inspiration he seeks.
Cliff finds himself at the Kit Kat Klub, where the black-gartered Kit Kat Girls (and the androgynous Kit Kat Boys) entertain crowds eager to indulge in the decadent side of the Weimar Republic. There he meets Sally Bowles (Catherine Frye), an English transplant determined to blossom in the decadent lifestyle.
The two begin a relationship of convenience. As Berlin (and German society) begins to implode, so does their relationship. Cliff wants to take Sally home, but she wants to return to the life she knows in the cabaret.
Director Jim Coleman has assembled a great cast, and with this production, strikes a balance between decadence, indifference and fear.
Matt Voyer was convincing as the naive, goodhearted author. His warm baritone was strong but not overpowering. He and Catherine Frye worked well together, and by the end of the show, they really had the audience on their side.
Much of the show's nuance came from the supporting characters. The romance between Fraulein Schneider (Dorothy Mulvihill) and Herr Schultz (Ray Rustigian) was one of the high points of the production, while Cushing and Joanna Bernazzini realized the layers of personality of their characters, along with their political leanings.
Another revelation was Frye's vocal performance. She grabbed the opportunity to shine, first with "Don't Tell Mama," and then with the show-stopping "Cabaret," which suited her voice perfectly.
Musical director Paul Kimball and vocal director Timothy Swaim have produced fine overall performances, especially from the pit orchestra. Vocally there was only one noticeable exception - the Act I quintet "Tomorrow Belongs to Me."
Beverly Norcross' costumes, in keeping with the show's spirited tension, run from risqué to fabulous. Valerie Gnassounou-Bynoe's choreography was wonderfully varied, from raunchy burlesque to proper social dances.
In all, "Cabaret" succeeds because of its talented cast and its confident exploration of human relationships.
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